Larry King built an iconic career interviewing celebrities and newsmakers and many of them paid tribute to the broadcasting legend following his death.
Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis wrote on twitter: “Oh no!!! RIP Larry King…what a Titan you were! One of our true icons. You are no longer in pain. Rest well.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said King “conducted over 50,000 interviews that informed Americans in a clear and plain way.”
“New York sends condolences to his family and many friends,” Cuomo said.
Director, actor and comedian Kevin Smith posted a photo of himself with King and said being interviewed by him was an “honor.”
Rapper and actor 50 Cent also posted a photo of himself with King, who he called a “legend.”
Meanwhile, Craig Ferguson, former host of CBS’ “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” said King “taught me so much. He was a true mensch. He probably even taught me that word.”
King’s beloved Los Angeles Dodgers honored him on Twitter. King was a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers growing up and he continued to support the MLB team when it relocated across the country to California. He was frequently spotted at games in Dodger Stadium, sitting in seats behind home plate.
In 1985 the host launched Larry King Live on the fledgling CNN, and became one of the network’s biggest stars. The programme, broadcast around the world, was a success with audiences, with King answering thousands of phone calls from viewers.
By 2010 his ratings had dropped significantly, with critics saying King’s approach felt outdated in an era of more aggressive interviewing styles. King then announced his retirement, saying: “It’s time to hang up my nightly suspenders.”
In his final programme on CNN, he told his viewers: “I don’t know what to say, except to you, my audience, thank you. Instead of goodbye, how about so long?”
CNN replaced him with British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan, whose programme King criticised for being “too much about him”.
Morgan, whose programme was cancelled three years later, said on Twitter on Saturday: “Larry King was a hero of mine until we fell out after I replaced him at CNN & he said my show was ‘like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your new Bentley.’ (He married 8 times so a mother-in-law expert).”
But, Morgan added, King “was a brilliant broadcaster & masterful TV interviewer.”
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